Pillow or cushion



March 1966 A. L. FREEDLANDER 3,239,854

PILLOW OR CUSHION Filed Sept. 23, 1965 FIG-2 INVENTOR. ABRAHAM L. FREEDLANDER ATTOR N EY United States Patent Ohio Filed Sept. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 310,750 6 Claims. (Cl. -337) This invention relates to pillows or cushions, and more particularly to those fabricated from cellular elastomeric material such as foam rubber, urethane foam, vinyl foam, or the like, possessing the advantages which are inherent in such materials. The invention further relates to a pillow or cushion which is reversible and possesses great versatility for the user in that the two sides thereof have different characteristics and offer to the user a choice of a firm or soft sleeping pillow or cushion used as part of furniture.

In its preferred form the pillow or cushion is made of foam rubber in a manner well known in the art and is formed of two separate halves which are then joined together as by cementing to provide a unitary cellular member. These halves are conventionally molded with a convex outer surface and a flat inner surface and include corings which are located in the member extending outwardly from the flat inner surface. This provides for a savings of material and improves the feel of the pillow or cushion half. The process of molding these members is best shown in United States Patents No. 2,432,- 353 and No. 2,604,663. According to conventional practice, the two halves of the member have the same density and other characteristics so that each side of the pillow, while usable, will provide the same degree of firmness. The result is a highly marketable product having long life, strength, and resilience.

The present invention represents an improvement over the prior art in providing a pillow or cushion which has the same desirable characteristics as prior art products, but is considerably more versatile. The novel product is firm on one side and soft on the other and can thus be adapted to the taste of the individual user. The product is made by forming one-half of the pillow or cushion in a conventional manner with corings extending outwardly from the flat inner surface, as described above; but the mating half of the pillow or cushion is manufactured in a different configuration. This mating half will also be molded by the process referred to above in the prior art but instead of the comparatively large diameter corings located as described, this half will have small diameter corings ranging from A3 inch to 4 inch extending inwardly from the convex outer surface. This provides an entirely different characteristic and gives an overall comfortable feel and satisfactory Wear characteristics.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a pillow or cushion having different densities on the opposite surfaces.

It is a further object to provide such a product which is firm on one side and soft on the other.

It is still another object to provide a pillow or cushion formed of two mating halves which are dissimilar in construction to provide the desired result.

These and other objects will be more fully described in the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating the novel concept as embodied in a sleeping pillow.

FIGURE 2 is a view in partial section, taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings, a completed pillow 1:1 is illustrated which is formed by lower half 12 and upper half 13 which are identical in shape to form matching halves. Each of these pillow halves has been preferably fabricated by placing liquid rubber latex in a mold of the proper configuration and treating it as described in the aforesaid patent. The halves are then removed from the mold and subjected to various finishing processes after which they are attached as shown to form a tinished unitary pillow member. Each pillow half consists of a convex outer surface and a flat inner surface and the two halves are cemented along their mating inner surfaces. The lower half 12 is fabricated in a conventional manner, as described in aforesaid Patent No. 2,604,666,

and includes corings 15 which are approximately one inch in diameter. These corings have been formed by the use of larger diameter pins mounted in the mold to provide these corings, which extend from the fiat inner surface outwardly into the pillow hal-f toward the convex outer surface. By contrast, the upper half 16 has smaller diameter corings 14 ranging from A3 inch to A inch in diameter, but in this case the corings extend from the convex outer surface inwardly into the pillow half toward the fiat inner surface. Because of the characteristics of the latex compound, as well-as the location and diameter of the corings, each of these pillow halves has a different density, which is measured by the following method.

The standard test which is performed on foam materials is made in accordance with specifications established by the American Society for Testing Materials and the Rubber Manufacturers Association. As more fully described in United States Patent No. 2,913,899, this consists of placing a flat circular plate having an area of 50 square inches and bearing a one pound load into contact with the surface of the foam member. The material is then compressed 25% of the original height, at a maximum rate of 25 inches per minute, and the final total load is observed in five seconds after the plate has come to rest. The resulting figure, expressed in pounds, is referred to as the RMA compression. In accordance with this standard procedure the lower pillow half 12 will have an RMA compression of 8 to 12 pounds, and preferably about 9 pounds. The upper half 13 will have an RMA compression of 4 to 7 pounds, and preferably about 5 /2 pounds. Thus the lower half, which has the larger diameter corings extending from the inner surface, will be comparatively firm as expressed by the larger range of 8 to 12 pounds; the upper half, having smaller diameter corings extending inwardly from the outer surface, will be the softer half as expressed by the smaller range of 4 to 7 pounds.

The resultant product will be one which is highly versatile in that it presents a single pillow having soft or firm sides so that different members of the family can use it in accordance with their taste. At the same time, the product is long lasting and inexpensive to manufacture.

Numerous variations of this principle may be provided by variant methods; for example, either or both halves of the pillow might be manufactured of a large slab of molded foam material which is then cut to shape to form the pillow half before cementing together. If the pillow is made of foamed urethane or foamed vinyl it can be either made by molding into the exact shape or by forming a large slab and cut-ting to shape as stated above.

What is claimed is:

1. A pillow comprising a pair of matching halves of cellular elastomeric material having convex outer surfaces and flat inner surfaces, said halves joined at said inner surfaces to form a unitary member, the inner surface of one half and the outer surface of the other half having corings extending therefrom, one of said halves being soft and the other half being comparatively firm.

2. The pillow of claim 1 in which said soft half has an RMA compression ranging from 4 to 7 pounds and said firm half has an RMA compression ranging from 8 to 12 pounds.

3. The pillow of claim 1 in which said soft half has an RMA compression of about 5 /2 pounds and said firm half has an RMA compression of about 9 pounds.

4. A pillow comprising a pair of matching halves of cellular elastomeric material, each having a convex outer surface and a flat inner surface, one of said halves having large diameter corings extending outwardly from the inner surface thereof, the other of said halves having small diameter corings extending inwardly from the outer surface thereof, said halves joined attheir inner surfaces to form a unitary member.

5. The pillow of claim 4 in which said small diameter corings range from A3 inch to A inch in diameter.

6. A pillow comprising a pair of matching halves of cellular elastomeric material, each having a convex outer surface and a flat inner surface, one of said halves having large diameter corings extending outwardly from the inner surface thereof and having an RMA compression of about 9 pounds, the other of said halves having corings ranging from inch to inch in diameter and having an RMA compression of about 5 /2 pounds, said halves joined at their inner surfaces to form a unitary member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,315,391 3/1943 Blair 5337 2,944,266 7/ 1960 Wertheimer 5-361 X 3,028,610 4/1962 Talalay 5355 3,110,042 11/1963 Slemmons 5361 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PILLOW COMPRISING A PAIR OF MATCHING HALVES OF CELLULAR ELASTOMERIC MATERIAL HAVING CONVEX OUTER SURFACES AND FLAT INNER SURFACES, SAID HALVES JOINED AT SAID INNER SURFACES TO FORM A UNITARY MEMBER, THE INNER SURFACE OF ONE HALF AND THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE OTHER HALF HAVING CORINGS EXTENDING THEREFROM, ONE OF SAID HALVES BEING SOFT AND THE OTHER HALF BEING COMPARATIVELY FIRM. 